Jeremy Cook, Engineering Consultant

The ESP8266 WiFi module has swept through the maker community in recent years, giving you the ability to add WiFi and a processor running at 80 or 160MHz to your project for just a few dollars. There are a variety o...

Way back in 2012, I was becoming more and more involved with making various projects in my garage. I even had a small CNC router, which allowed me to cut items out automatically using code generated CAD/CAM software...

When working with Arduino and other similar development boards, the standard procedure is to send your program to your MCU via its USB connector. This normally works well, and even allows you to monitor what your MC...

As I write this, the Fourth of July is coming up, a time when Americans are encouraged to light and observe pyrotechnic devices in abundance. Normally you use a match to set off these minor explosives, but I instead...

While you undoubtedly have some familiarity with computer vision (CV), normally these systems come packaged as either an expensive industrial setup, or as something powered by your phone or an actual computer &ndash...

So you’ve been experimenting with the Raspberry Pi single-board computer for years, and you've finally come up with an application that others would be willing to pay for. Sure, friends and family love the...

Machine vision has been around in practical terms since the early 1980s, with experiments in this technology dating back even earlier. In the beginning, even reading a single letter took many long seconds, but this ...

If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, you were likely amazed when devices like the Nintendo Game Boy and Sega Game Gear came onto the scene, enabling you to play versions of Mario or Sonic in a nicely portable package&m...

For several years, I’ve been making YouTube videos. While they were quite poor at first, and perhaps only better than average now, as I put myself out there you can see the incremental improvements adding up y...

The OSD3358-SM-RED from Octavo Systems is a reference, evaluation, and development board for the OSD335x-SM series of System-in-Package (SiP) devices. These devices cram up to a 1 GHz processor, ADC, Ethernet capabi...

Two years ago, Raspberry Pi launched the Pi 3 Model B. While its enhanced processing specs were a big improvement over the Pi 2, what really set it apart was its addition of built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities...

As noted in my last post, you have several motor options when developing a MakerPro project. When using an Arduino board, DC motors and hobby servos are relatively easy to control, but stepper motors require a bit m...

When working with MCUs and the like, blinking lights and OLED outputs are fun, but to create something that actually moves, your first choice will normally be a DC motor. Fortunately, these can be found with a quick...

Arduino boards and the like are amazing devices. For just a few dollars, they can take in a number of inputs, process them at millions of cycles per second, and produce outputs in a variety of forms. But where do yo...

As noted in this post, the Raspberry Pi Zero is available for only $5, while its Wi-Fi-enabled cousin, the Pi Zero W, is only $10. I finally got my hands on one, and this article will discuss my initial experiences ...

Wireless communication can take many forms, from WiFi to Bluetooth, to LoRaWAN and everything in between. For an extremely low-cost option for Arduino projects (under $2 for each transceiver), it’s tough ...

As we make things, whether it’s a personal or professional project, or some combination in the case of many MakerPros, we complete the task, or at least get it working, then move on. But in many cases, by movi...

In engineering, it’s common to deal with three competing factors: something can be produced well, cheaply, or fast. Networking has to make the same sort of tradeoffs, but parameters could be thought of as cost...

As discussed previously, I²C provides an excellent and freely usable standard for short range interfaces between integrated circuits. This can make a great platform for human-machine interface (HMI) setups. Ins...

If you’ve been following along here, you’ve seen the process where I set up my WeMos D1 Mini board to be programmed in the Arduino IDE, then even made it blink via WiFi. What I find to be the most incred...

For simple electronics projects, controlling devices with a discreet on or off signal from you chosen development board works quite well. One output controls an LED, solenoid, or other device, and button or switch i...

We’ve all heard of smart devices and we can see this technology filtering into our homes bit by bit. While much of this technology is costly and/or proprietary, you can build up your own smart home to your exa...

When the original Raspberry Pi (Rpi) became available in 2012, it was amazing that a Linux computer could fit in the palm of your hand for the low, low price of $35. On the other hand, if you’re a student...

I recently got a subscription to Spotify to help keep my focus on my work, which can involve reading and understanding technical articles, or often doing the same for YouTube videos. Though I’m generally happy...

When you start a maker project, if you need programmatic control, you may turn to an Arduino board, such as the Uno or Mega, but in many situations, something much smaller would work be preferable. Of course you cou...

[Image by RoboCore Robot Sumo by Paulolenz via Wikimedia Commons, CCA-SA 3.0] In human competition, one could argue that there is no purer expression of sport than pitting one person directly against another in some form of wrestling. Though robots aren’t yet advanced enough to wrestle with one another in the Greco-Roman style, a simplified form [...]

[WeMos D1 Mini back by Tpkull via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.] In my last article, I went over how I was able to program the WeMos D1 Mini ESP8266 development board via the Arduino IDE. Though there a few hoops to jump through — including making sure your cable works — once it is [...]

[D1 Mini front by Tpkull WeMos via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.] Since Arduino boards have become something of a de facto standard for maker and DIY projects, many other boards have adapted their systems to be programmed within the Arduino IDE. One of the most interesting modules out there is the ESP8266, and I [...]

[Photo from footage taken by PJ Accetturo] Several years ago, I was shown a device called the Strandbeest, a mechanical walking creature that moves via wind and mechanical power. At first I thought that, though interesting, it wasn’t something I would try myself – it was way too complicated. Eventually, though, the allure of this [...]

As touched on in my MakerPro display options post, LEDs can be very useful user interface devices. Though simple LEDs that light up when the proper voltage is applied have their place, another option comes in the form of programmable RGB LEDs. [An up-close view of an RGB LED. Photo by Sven Killig, CC BY-SA [...]

As mentioned in my last article, I have a decent amount of experience with Arduino boards, and quite a bit more with industrial programmable logic controllers (PLCs), but until now I haven’t actually sunk my teeth into the Raspberry Pi. Now that I have one of these boards, it was time to actually give [...]

I’ve been using Arduino development boards for several years now, with great results. Whether powering a unique camera fixture or controlling simple robots, their ability to take inputs and process information works quite well in many situations. In fact, you can see my overview of the Uno, Nano, and Mega boards in the linked posts, [...]

You’ve probably seen hobby-style servos are used in many DIY and MakerPro projects. Cheap, and accurate enough for many applications, they’re used in many interesting projects, and can be purchased configured for different torque and speed ratings depending on your needs. On the other hand, one big disadvantage of hobby servos is that they can’t [...]

If you’ve been experimenting with development boards like the Arduino Uno, turning on a light automatically can be useful, and there is a wide variety of other things you can do with these versatile devices. On the other hand, controlling them wirelessly may seem like a challenge. After all, you have to figure out how [...]

In this series, I’ve gone over the Arduino Uno development board that seems to be the de facto MakerPro standard, as well as the Nano, which is great when you need very similar capabilities in a much smaller form factor. If, however, you need something with more IO and memory, then the Arduino Mega may [...]

As touched on in my first post on the Arduino Uno, Arduino development boards have in many ways revolutionized hobby, and now MakerPro electronics. No longer does one have to spend close to $100 for a tiny computer that will turn on a light bulb in response to a sensor, they can now be had [...]

In the early 2000s, if you wanted to develop a hobby robot, many students and experimenters turned to the BASIC Stamp line of microcontrollers, which cost about $100. This can be a big expense for someone who doesn’t yet have a “real job.” Personally, after getting to use one in college, it wasn’t easy for [...]

Since I purchased a DSLR camera several years ago, I’ve been fascinated with taking good photos. This has paid off with (hopefully) better photos of my family and recreational pursuits, but has also helped me show off my various MakerPro creations more effectively. My latest build comes in the form of a GoPro panning fixture [...]

You may have heard the phrase in sales, “always be closing,” conveniently abbreviated “ABC.” As a MakerPro, I don’t think that phrase, though easily abbreviated, should be your goal. After all, one needs to actually make the product or perform the service that you’re selling, and being really pushy seems like it would simply turn [...]

Nixie tubes, if you haven’t heard of them, are display devices that look like vacuum tubes, but are actually filled with gas. When electricity is applied to one of the characters inside, it appears to glow, brightly displaying this information for all to see. The Burroughs Corporation originally introduced these tubes in the 1950s, and [...]